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“A new approach is required –one that must address the economic and social factors that underpin early deaths, especially in younger populations, and one that focuses on rebalancing the wider economy to help drive investment in northern towns and cities.

“The devolution of centralised powers may enable civic leaders to seed the economic growth to tackle this divide, but only if they are given the proportionate northern weighting of funds to do so.”

The North-South divide runs along an imaginary line between the Wash and the Severn Estuary, with the population split roughly 50/50 above and below.
Major disparities in power and resources have existed since the Norman invasion of 1066.

Dr Hakim Yadi, from the Northern Health Science Alliance, said: “Health inequalities between the North and South of the country must be addressed by the government as a priority.”

The study – published in the BMJ’s Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health – did not examine the causes of death.

A Government spokeswoman said: "We are taking action by addressing the root social causes, promoting healthier lifestyles and improving the consistency of NHS services."